Discussion week 7

QUESTION:

Scenario:

You are watching a person running on a treadmill. (You're also working out in the gym--so don't feel bad
or weird about just watching someone else run on a treadmill. It's just that the runner is a moving
object and has, perceptually speaking, caught your eye.) You begin to think about the nervous system as
you are watching this runner on the treadmill.

Here are some of your thoughts (please select one of your thoughts and provide a thoughtful and well-
researched answer to your thoughts; please cite your sources)

 Since the brain and spinal cord are the control center of the body, how are her muscles being
controlled by the central nervous system?

 Since she is sweating, she is probably activating her sympathetic nervous system. How does
activation of the sympathetic nervous system lead to sweating?

 She is watching television while running and she is picking up her water bottle. How does the
brain permit us to perform multiple simultaneous functions such as "walking and chewing gum?"

 She is drinking so must be thirsty. What are body systems or chemical receptor systems in the
body send signals to brain to tell it that it is thirsty?

Feel free to come up with any other thought that you might have and ask it here and post your
researched answer.

Answer

She is watching television while running and she is picking up her water bottle. How does the brain
permit us to perform multiple simultaneous functions such as "walking and chewing gum?"

According to the Society for Neuroscience the prefrontal cortex controls your focus and attention.
Usually people can do one thing really well, two things most well and start forgetting about one of the
tasks when three things need to be done at the same time. The difficulty of the tasks being done at the
same time must also be considered because if the task is chewing gun and does not require much
attention to accomplish more of the brain power in the prefrontal cortex can complete the other task
(2013). In addition, a recent study from Freedman Lab of the University of Chicago published in the
March 2016 issue of Neuron magazine Freedman Lab found that "different types of information can be
simultaneously encoded within this specific brain region called the lateral intraparietal area, which is
within the posterior parietal cortex." So it can be deduced that different parts of the brain can handle
the control of certain tasks while another task is being handled by a different part of the brain.

This study source was downloaded by 100000840877951 from CourseHero.com on 01-31-2022 06:28:00 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/18266747/Discussion-week-7-biol-362/
 The Multi-tasking Mind. (2013, October 9). Society for Neuroscience. Retrieved October 22, 2016
from http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-thinking-behaving/awareness-and-attention/articles/2013/the-
multitasking-mind/

Freedman Lab finds that neuronal multitasking may be a key to understanding overall brain function.
(2016, March). Department of Neurology at the University of Chicago. Retrieved October 22, 2016
from https://neurobiology.uchicago.edu/page/freedman-lab-finds-neuronal-multitasking-may-be-key-
understanding-overall-brain-function

This study source was downloaded by 100000840877951 from CourseHero.com on 01-31-2022 06:28:00 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/18266747/Discussion-week-7-biol-362/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)